By ERIC HANSEN * South Bend Tribune

By ERIC HANSEN * South Bend Tribune

August 19, 2012

Marcus Marter,

SOUTH BEND

In what turned out to be a transformative encounter with former Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice, Everett Golson never did find out about Rice's first collegiate play of significance. For the record, it unfolded 25 autumns ago, the sophomore from Woodruff, S.C., summoned into a game against Pitt on the road, just after halftime, because of a broken collarbone to then-starter Terry Andrysiak. Rice broke the huddle,

strode toward the line and promptly readied himself to take the snap ...

From an offensive guard.

"I think that's one of the stories he left out," said Golson, ND's current depth-chart surger at quarterback.

When the sophomore from Myrtle Beach, S.C., stopped laughing, he volunteered that he did the very same thing during spring practice four months ago, back when he was the long shot in a protracted four-quarterback audition to be the starter this fall.

By the time Golson and Rice met, the 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore was dramatically ascending.

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In the end, it might not have mattered whether semi-incumbent Tommy Rees had been suspended for the Sept. 1 season opener against Navy or if junior Andrew Hendrix had become a master improviser on broken plays or if freshman Gunner Kiel had pulled an Evelyn Wood on the playbook.

"I think the Everett we saw last year was playing because he was just having fun. He was just